Apparatus for purification of dust-laden air



June 29, 1954 H. J. KAUFMANN 2,682,316

APPARATUS FOR PURIFICATION OF DUST-LADEN AIR Filed Jan. 31, 1952 2Sheets-Sheet l I Inventor HANS JAKOB KAUFMANN M /M Attorneys June 29,1954 H. J. KAUFMANN 2,682,316

APPARATUS FOR PURIFICATION OF DUST-LADEN AIR Filed Jan. 51, 1952 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Hm I1: I05 KAl/F/MA NN 075; z; Ei M A ttorneysPatented June 29, 1954 APPARATUS FOR PURIFICATION OF DUST-LADEN AIR HansJakob Kaufmann, Knockholt, England Application January 31, 1952, SerialNo. 269,205

Claims priority, application Great Britain February 2, 1951 2 Claims. 1

In the filtration or purification of dust-laden atmospheric airas isnecessary, for example, in certain milling operations-it has heretoforebeen proposed to employ sleeves, usually of textile material, which aresuspended in sectional chambers or compartments (wherethrough is inducedby means of an exhauster fan the air to be purified) of the air-cleaningapparatus, and are agitated from time to time by mechanical means inorder to liberate collected dust, the sleeves of each compartment beingcarried by a spring-influenced rocker arm: such rocker arms are actuatedby cam-operated knocker devices timed to successively engage said arms.A hopper or casing common to all of the sleeve-containing compartmentsis situated below the unclosed lower portions of same, and includes aworm or valve-controlled dust discharge passage.

The present invention aims toeiiect removal of collected dust from thesleeves of air cleaning apparatus of the typereferred to during itsoperation, but this without necessity forthe employment of mechanicalsleeve agitating means; and my invention broadly resides in the periodicopening of said compartments to admit ambient air, Whilst, preferably,at the same time, maintaining the purified air outlets of thecompartments open or partially open, such admitted air being so Whirledin the compartments-due to the vacuous condition existing therein-as toagitate r shake the sleeves, and cause cessation or reversal of thenormal a-ir flow through the sleeves, to expel therefrom the collecteddust which falls into the hopper to. be spouted-01f, or otherwiseremoved, as may be desired: on closing the compartments againstadmittance of ambient air, the sleeves resume their normal air cleaningfunction. Thus, the dust removal proceeds automatically withoutnecessity for the employment of mechanical means for shaking thesleeves.

I will further describe my invention with the aid of the accompanyingsheets of explanatory drawings, which show by way of example only andnot of limitation, one mode of embodiment.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a part sectional elevation of air cleaning apparatus adaptedto carry my invention into effect.

Fig. 2 is a section drawn to an enlargedscale and taken as on line AAFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one compartment of theapparatus.

In said drawings there is represented air cleaning apparatus comprisinga plurality of compartments a, in each of which are suspended textilesleeves b: the'lower ends of said compartments a are open to a hopper 0containing discharge means in the form of a worm conveyor d.

The upper part of each compartment a, is connected by a duct e providedwith a butterfly valve 6 to a common trunk passage f leading to anexhaust fan (not shown).

Each compartment a has an opening a normally closed by a door or panel asecured to a vertical shaft g'which is revolubly supported by bearingsh, and each shaft is provided with an arm 1' adapted to be engaged andactuated periodically by a cam set on awheel Z. Said wheels Z arecarried by a horizontal shaft m journalled in bearings m and which shaftis driven, as also the worm conveyor (1, in any convenient manner from apower source.

Said compartment door carrying shafts g are off-set (as shown mostclearly in Fig. 3) in relation to the centre lines of their doors (1. sothat a door will be normally maintained tightly shut by reason of thevacuous condition prevailing in its compartment. Springs n, n areprovided to ensure closing of doors a after disengagement of theiractuating cams 7c from the lateral arms 7'.

In use, assuming shaft m. to be rotating at required speed and that theexhaust fan is in operation, thereby causing a vacucus condition toexist in the compartments a, dust laden air is drawn into hopper 0 viaintake duct 0 and passes upwardly for cleaning through the compartmentsa and sleeves Z2, the cleaned air moving from the compartments, viaducts e, into trunk f for expulsion. During the air cleaning process,the doors a of compartments a are periodically opened in turn, or inother desired sequence, by cams It to permit inrush of ambient airwhereby sleeves b are violently shaken, and the air flow therethroughceases or is reversed, to cause the collected dust to be precipitatedfrom the sleeves into hopper c for disposal via worm conveyor cl. Inexperimental practice I have efiected satisfactory dust-collection bypartially opening (note left hand door of Fig. 1 and door of Fig. 3) inturn the doors of each compartment for about three seconds every four orfive minutes.

The valves e of ducts e are mounted on shafts g which extend throughsaid ducts and are arranged, in this instance, approximately at rightangles to doors a so that, on opening of the latter, ducts e of therespective compartments are partially closed as a precaution against toogreat a loss of vacuum.

It is, of course, to be understood that I do not desire to confine myinvention to the precise means hereinbefore described for effectingcontrol of the sleeve-containing compartments of dust removal apparatus,as any suitable mode of opening automatically the compartments ror theinrush of outside air, and closing same at desired intervals may beadopted. For example, slides or shutters may obviously be substitutedfor the panels or doors hereinbefore described.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for effecting removal of collected dust from the sleeves ofair cleaning apparatus comprising a plurality of compartments, a hopperconnected to said compartments, sleeves of textile material suspended ineach of said compartments, means connected to said sleeves for directingthe air to be purified of dust therethrough, a pivotally mounted panelclosure member associated with each compartment, means for actuatingsaid closure members'whereby said compartments are opened and closed inthe desired sequence to permit the inrush of ambient air upon theopening of said closures for agitating said sleeves, a rotatably mountedshaft secured to each of said panel closures, said shaft being oiT-setin relation to the vertical center line of its respective closure,cleaned air outlet ducts connected to the upper parts of saidcompartments, each of said shafts extending through one of said cleanedair outlet ducts, a plurality of butterfly valves each carried by one ofsaid shafts and positioned in one of said ducts for opening andpartially closing the same upon movement of its connected panel, lateralarms mounted on said shafts, a rotatably driven common shaft, and camsmounted on said common shaft and adapted on rotation to engage andrelease said lateral arms so as to open and permit the closing of saidcompartments in the desired sequence.

2. Apparatus for effecting removal of collected dust from the sleeves ofair cleaning apparatus comprising a plurality of compartments, a hopperconnected to said compartments, sleeves oi. textile material suspendedin each of said compartments, means connected to said sleeves fordirecting the air to be purified of dust therethrough, a pivotallymounted panel closure member associated with each compartment, means foractuating said closure members whereby said compartments are opened andclosed in the desired sequence to permit inrush of ambient air upon theopening of said closures for agitating said sleeves, a rotatably mountedshaft secured to each of said panel closures, said shaft being off-setin relation to the vertical center line of its respective closure,cleaned air outlet ducts connected to the upper parts of saidcompartments, each of said shafts extending through one of said cleanedair outlet ducts, a plurality of butterfly valves each carried by one ofsaid shafts and positioned in one of said ducts for opening andpartially closing the same upon movement of its connected panel, lateralarms mounted on said shafts, a rotatably driven common shaft, camsmounted on said common shaft and adapted on rotation to engage andrelease said lateral arms so as to open and permit the closing of saidcompartments in the desired sequence, and resilient means adapted toclose said compartments after actuation and release of said panels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,784,339 Clasen et a1. Dec. 9, 1930 1,843,639 Hansen Feb. 2,1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 21,560 Great Britain Sept. 21,1909 332,601 Great Britain July 23, 1930 401,186 Germany Aug. 29, 1924556,619 Germany Aug. 16, 1932 748,144 France 'Apr. 10, 1933

